Law and Magic Blog

Magic in the Courtroom: A Foreign Lawyer Briefs the Case

A Queen's Counsel weighs in from across the pond on behalf of Steven Leventhal. After citing the fact that Mr. Leventhal uses that dollar bill trick (everybody talks about that dollar bill trick), David Pannick writes in part for the Times of London: 

Counsel are not required to stick rigidly to the point. They are allowed to illustrate their case by the use of literature, fable and even the lyrics of pop songs. At the Soham murder trial in 2003, Maxine Carr’s defence counsel, Michael Hubbard, QC, quoted to the jury Engelbert Humperdinck’s song Please Release Me, Let Me Go, to make the point on behalf of Ian Huntley’s former fiancee: “For I don’t love him any more.”

Why should magic tricks be any different? Why, indeed?

More On Magic In Philadelphia

Steve Leventhal, that cheerful lawyer magician from Philly, even made the CBS News on March 9 by virtue of that Blash case. His first case involved a boat christened "The Illusion." I can't stand it.

A Dog of a Case

This English lawyer has a healthy sense of magical humor (or should that be humour)?

An Update On the One Mind Ministries Trial

Here's more on that plea agreement between the mother, Ria Ramkissoon, who believes her son, Javon Thompson, may still be resurrected, in spite of his death by starvation, and prosecutors, who want her testimony against other members of One Mind Ministries. The proceeding against the other members of the group is delayed, in part because two of them still do not have legal representation.

More On the One Mind Ministries Trial

An AP story updates the story of the One Mind Ministries members on trial for the death of little Javon Thompson. The mother has agreed to a guilty plea and to testify against other members of the group; she will withdraw the plea if Javon is resurrected. The judge also agreed. Read more here.

Alleged Child Abuse, Murder Trial Tragedy Opens in Baltimore

The Washington Post reports on a bizarre case of alleged child abuse and murder. Members of a small Baltimore religious cult called One Mind Ministries are charged with denying food and water to a small child because he would not say "amen" before meals. They said the Bible told them this was the correct path to follow. He died in a few days, probably in January of 2007. The One Mind members tried praying over him to resurrect him; it didn't work. Eventually the adult members of the cult left town, taking the body with them in a suitcase. Prosecutors are now charging the adults, including the little boy's mother, with murder. She is willing to plead to a lesser charge and testify for the prosecution if her son is resurrected. But how can the DA manage that?

The One Mind Ministries members, including the mother, will probably mount a religious defense. According to psychiatrists appointed by the court, "[H]er beliefs were indistinguishable from religious beliefs, in part because they were shared by those around her." According to the WaPo story, both her attorney, Steven Silverman, and prosecutors also believe she was brainwashed by other members of the group. "Silverman said he and prosecutors think Ramkissoon was brainwashed and should have been found not criminally responsible; prosecutors declined to comment. Although an inability to think critically can be a sign of brainwashing, experts said, the line between that and some religious beliefs can be difficult to discern."

Brainwashing has been tried as a defense before. Patty Hearst's attorney F. Lee Bailey attempted it in her bank robbery trial in the 1970s.  

Scientific American On Evolution

The January issue of Scientific American is devoted to the topic of evolution. It includes a piece by Glenn Branch and Eugenie Scott on creationism in the classroom, and a review of the Dover case. It also includes an opinion piece by Michael Shermer, "A Skeptic's Review of Telephoning the Dead." (online title).

An Update On That Ferndale Incident

Remember the young man who allegedly attacked his teacher, claiming she was a witch? The judge in his case has ordered him to undergo a psychiatric examination, to see if he is competent to stand trial. Darin Najor is already in a Pontiac hospital getting "treatment" according to people assisting in his defense. Yes, well...people can believe in witches all they want. They just can't go around attacking people they think are witches, even with benign liquid poured from bottles of Gatorade.  

Haunted Hollywood

MSNBC.com offers this story about Hollywood's haunted sites. They include Universal Studios, the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery, and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where Virginia Rappe, the young woman at the center of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's trial, is buried. Even if you don't believe in ghosts, you'll learn a lot about Hollywood history.

Begging a Pardon For the Witches

Emma Angel (what a wonderful name) is backing a petition to get posthumous pardons for those women who were convicted of witchcraft under the 1736 Witchcraft Act. A petition will be presented to (British) Justice Minister Jack Straw. Check out the initiative here.

The Act referred to was replaced in 1951 by the Fraudulent Mediums Act, which itself went by the boards earlier this year.